printing information

Flash oil is a form of kerosene.
It is used to reduce the tack in etching inks. It is clear and
non-yellowing. Because it is high in wetting strength, only a few drops
are required to reduce most inks.

Setswell is an ink modifier, it loosens the ink. It was
originally designed to allow you to print large flat areas of
color over other large areas smoothly. I have used it in my ink
for viscosity printing for years, I use it up to 25% although the
recommended usage is 5%. I have not had any noticable change in
the paper or ink in 20 years so think it is a safe modifier. I
would use it with litho ink.,You might have better luck with
litho ink instead of the relief ink. Most printers I know use
litho for relief printing instead of the relief ink. It is easier
to control and has a lot more pigment in it, I recommend the
Handschy ink from Graphic Chemical. You can add a lot of
transparent base and still have intense color. I have printed
lots of woodblocks using ink with setswell and transparent base
added, the secret is thin layers of ink. Better to print a block
twice than to have the ink too thick. Hope this helps.

plate oil also leaches into the paper and tends to first oil it, then
'burn' it, eventually brittle it, and ultimately destroy it over

Regarding crisp lines on blocks, I have found that as oil-based ink builds
up on the edges of cut areas in the block I need to run a "cleaning" print
once in a while. What works best for me is a damp blotter or several sheets
of newsprint, run every 10 prints or so without reinking the block. Works
miracles. Also watch for build up on the roller/brayer, after several prints
sometimes I notice that I'm building up too much ink on the roller with the
same number of passes (which I don't count like I should), just eliminate
the extra ink by rolling on a sheet of newsprint.

Also, sometimes the crisp-culprit for me is the bottom sheets of a damp
paper pile, not built up ink on the block. When the paper sits on a pile of
dampened paper, the bottom sheets tend to remain a bit damper than the top.
Those extra damp sheets tend to print a bit fuzzier.

For stiffening inks, either calcium carbonate or whiting will work (might be
the same thing?).
time...